Mask of Life
by Goldenrod
Summary: Kit returns to the Bionicle realm and takes part in the search for the Mask of Life.
1. Kit's Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, but I do own Kit.

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, guys. My editor was really slow this time around.

* * *

The days passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. 'Technically, it's only been about a year-and-a-half,' Kit corrected herself as she sat at her desk. It had been a year-and-a-half since she returned from the Bionicle world. Now, at 18 years of age, she was in the middle of her senior year of high school and taking notes in her latest algebra class. She'd been making sure that things were going smoothly in the Bionicle world by reading the books, though the ones of the Hordika saga still made her slightly cringe because of the memories of that time. Soon after taking notes and getting started on their homework, the kids began to get their things packed so that they could leave as soon as the clock hit the mark.

The bell rang and the teacher announced, "Class dismissed."

Everyone poured out of the classroom and headed either home or to their after-school activities. Kit met up with some friends whose Mom carpooled them all home. Once she got inside her house, she headed straight for the kitchen to look for an after-school snack. She had just bitten into a cookie when she heard a voice call her name in her mind.

"_Kit._"

'Tehreisha?'

"_You are needed back in the Bionicle realm, Kit. I sense that it is under threat of an outside force again._"

'What kind of threat?'

"_I'm not sure, yet, but it's there._"

'On my way.'

"_Take care, child._"

With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared and the girl jumped in, thinking of how nice it would be to see her biomechanical friends again.

* * *

Seven hunched-over figures, the Turaga, were just exiting an Archives tunnel when a light blue light suddenly appeared in their path. They braced themselves for an attack and a figure shot out screaming. Kit collapsed to the ground, grunting as she landed on her stomach. "Gotta work on the landings," she groaned in a winded voice as she picked herself up. Hearing someone call her name, she spotted Turaga Matau, followed by the others, moving as fast as he could move.

"It's so good to see you again," Matau greeted.

"Same here," Kit replied.

'So, this is the one known as Kit that I've heard so much about,' Dume thought, observing Vakama and the others crowd around the girl and exchange fist-punches with her. "Welcome back to Metru Nui, Kit," Turaga Dume said.

"Turaga Dume?" Kit inquired, confused.

Vakama nodded, "Norik and the Rahaga revived him shortly after we left the island all of those centuries ago."

"Thank you, Turaga," Kit hastily bowed.

Even though the Dume that betrayed her and the Toa Metru was a phony, Kit couldn't help but feel a little uneasy around the guy. However, that would have to wait; she had to get busy. "Though, I must confess, Turaga, that my return isn't a pleasure trip. Tehreisha told me that an outside force is trying to mess things up again."

"What sort of outside force?" Nokama asked.

"She doesn't know," Kit answered, "and that's why I'm back." After a pause, the girl asked, "Where are the Toa?"

"I'm afraid you just missed them," answered Vakama, and he and the Turaga told her about the Toa Nuva's mission to an island called Voya Nui, an island where a fabled Mask of Life was said to be located. Kit's eyes widened a bit when the elders mentioned the reason for the hunt for this mask—the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, was dying.

* * *

Later, Kit stood on the coast of Ga-Metru. She turned at the sound of someone's approach. It was Turaga Dume. "Heading out?" asked the Turaga.

"The sooner, the better," the girl replied.

Though she tried to hide it, Dume could see a suspicious look in the young human's eyes whenever she saw him.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"Don't get me wrong, Turaga. I do want to trust you, I really do. It's just . . ."

"I know," Dume soothed as he patted the girl's arm. The Rahaga had filled him in on events in the city all of those centuries ago when they managed to wake him from the spell Makuta placed on him.

"And, there's the fact that you insisted on Takanuva staying behind," Kit pointed out. "Are we sure you're the _real_ Dume?"

"Turaga Onewa has used his mask power to scan my mind as a precaution," Dume replied. "I assure you, Kit, I'm the true Turaga Dume." A short pause followed between the two before Dume said, "I wished the Toa Nuva the best of luck when they departed, and now I do the same for you, Kit. But, with the only canisters we had gone, I can't see how you're going to get to Voya Nui."

"Don't worry, I have a ride," said Kit. "And, here it comes now." Dume looked up to find rotating blue lights descending toward them. "I contacted Tehreisha," Kit said in response to the Turaga's questioning look.

The lights surrounded Kit and, the next thing the elder knew, the girl and the light disappeared in a flash. "Take care, Kit," said Dume. "Perhaps with you at their side, the Toa will stand a better chance at retrieving the mask." The Turaga's thoughts were interrupted by a Ga-Matoran calling to him, something about some Matoran, one from each metru, gone missing. "Which ones?" asked the Turaga.

"Jaller, Hahli, Hewki, Kongu, Matoro, and Nuparu," answered the Matoran.

A grim expression formed on Dume's mask, already guessing what happened considering Jaller was involved. The Captain of the Ta-Metru Guard had proven to be quite stubborn over the past few days, and now he and five other Matoran have disappeared.

* * *

In a clearing, a flash of light appeared and blue rotating lights circled Kit before vanishing. "So, this is the island of Voya Nui. It doesn't look so bad," she mused, remembering the Turaga mentioned it was also known as 'the daggers of death'. Spotting a nearby hill, she decided to get a look around and climbed. When she got to the top, the scenery before her took her breath away. Aside from a lush green line along the coast, the island was practically nothing but barren wasteland; the very edge of the coast was either covered in ice or was formed of jagged, dangerous-looking rocks; and a volcano sat at the epicenter of the island. "I take it back," Kit admitted. Further scanning revealed what appeared to be a fortress of some kind at the base of the volcano. "That looks inviting," she said sarcastically, not liking the look of it at all. Then, toward the east, she spotted what appeared to be a village. Deciding that was the best place to start, Kit climbed down the small summit and made her way there, unaware she was being watched.

* * *

In a cave in the hills, Garan and his friends were planning their next move against the island's oppressors, the Piraka, when Piruk came running in. "We've got more company," the Le-Matoran reported, and went on to describe the strange being that appeared in a flash of light.

"Where was it headed?" Garan asked.

"Toward the village, last I saw," the spy replied.

* * *

Making her way to the settlement proved tougher than Kit originally thought. Jungle plants and vines impeded her progress, making it difficult to walk. "Where's a weed whacker when you need one?" she mumbled to herself. Meanwhile, Garan and his friends watched and waited, hidden from sight. Their plan was to subdue the creature and interrogate her. Garan was certain that she must have been sent for by the Piraka. Suddenly, a pulse-bolt struck the ground just ahead of Kit. "What the--" she wondered, only to have herself interrupted by something grabbing her from behind. Thinking fast, she threw her assailant over her shoulder and onto the ground. She was surprised to find out what her attacker was, 'A Matoran?' Just then, Kit found herself surrounded by five other Matoran, all a little different from the ones she was familiar with, bearing some kind of tool, and, most unusual of all, wearing Great Masks. The Onu-Matoran launched another pulse-bolt, which Kit dodged. A Po-Matoran charged, but Kit blocked his attack with a shield. 'This is crazy,' Kit thought to herself, hardly believing that she was under attack by Matoran. "Hey-take it-easy," she plead to the Matoran while fending off strikes. "I-won't-hurt you." But, the Matoran didn't listen. A Ta-Matoran and a Le-Matoran grabbed hold of her legs, allowing a Ko-Matoran to jump her in an effort to get her to lose her balance. For a moment, Kit almost did, but, as gently as possible, she pushed him off, grabbed hold of the two at her legs, and shoved them aside. The fight continued with Kit either dodging, blocking, or cancelling out attacks with her energy powers, constantly putting herself on the defensive; she refused to fight back for fear of hurting them. All of a sudden, a terrible piercing sound assaulted Kit's ears. Her hands were over her ears in an instant, but it didn't help. She groaned in pain as she knelt down on her knees; it felt like her skull was going to crack. When she fell to the ground, she was barely aware that the Matoran surrounded her and proceeded to tie up her hands, arms, and ankles with rope. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the sound stopped. Kit noticed that the Onu-Matoran, who appeared to be the leader, was talking to her, but his voice was nearly drowned out by the ringing in her ears.

A frown creased his mask, he came closer, and she could barely hear him say something like, "Hey, do you hear me?"

"How am I supposed to hear anything when my ears are still ringing from . . . whatever you did to them?" she groaned.

With a sigh, Garan decided to give Kit some time for her hearing to recover. After a few minutes, the ringing in Kit's ears had disappeared, and Garan got on with the interrogation.

"Who are you? What are you?"

"Kit. I'm a human."

"Hu-man?"

"Long story."

"Why are you here? Did the Piraka send for you?"

"Piraka?"

"Don't bother trying to play dumb with us," the Ga-Matoran scoffed. "We know the Piraka sent for you."

"And, Miss Congeniality here would be?" asked Kit.

"The name's Dalu," answered the Ga-Matoran.

"That's enough, Dalu," Garan scolded.

Kit tugged at her bonds, but they held tight. "Look, I am looking for someone, but they're not these Piraka you speak of. Now, could someone please untie me?"

"Not yet, if ever," Garan replied as he crossed his arms. "When the Piraka arrived, they claimed they came here with good intentions too, and we paid a horrible price for it."

The Matoran each in turn went on to explain how the Piraka tricked the local Matoran into thinking they were Toa, bullied and threatened them, and, finally, infected a great deal of the population with green, glowing spheres, turning them into obedient zombie-like slaves. Garan and the others were the only free ones left. "Just yesterday, Balta and I saw one of them accidentally fall to his death into the volcano," said Garan. "All of the neighboring Matoran just went about their business as if nothing happened, and the Piraka just smiled cruelly."

'Man, these guys burn me up,' Kit thought after hearing of the Piraka's brutality. "All the more reason to let me go," she said to the Matoran. "My friends and I can help you. They're Toa, and they should be here soon."

Garan, however, shook his head, refusing to budge. Kit inwardly growled; she understood where Garan and his friends were coming from, why they were so suspicious, but it didn't take away the building frustration. How could she get them to trust her? Suddenly, a multi-legged form leaped into the clearing and attacked the Matoran, making them scatter. When Kit got a good look at it, she was disgusted, 'I hate spiders.' The robotic arachnid lunged for Velika, but Piruk jumped from behind. The spider bucked and kicked until it managed to throw off the Le-Matoran, who collided into the face of a cliff. Noticing the Matoran's shredder claws, and that the other Matoran were busy with the Rahi, Kit rolled her way to him and used Piruk's claws to cut her ropes. The spider advanced on Dalu, but the Matoran launched an attack with her tools. Unfortunately, the Rahi dodged, and, being weakened from her failed attempt, Dalu was left open for attack. Using strength borne out of desperation, Kit pulled at the shredded ropes that bound her hands and arms until they snapped and untied the rope on her ankles. The spider pounced, but Kit managed to grab Dalu and pushed her out of the way just in the nick of time. Angered, the spider pounced, but Kit deflected it with an energy ball. While the girl kept the Rahi busy, Garan came to Dalu's side.

"Are you alright?" asked the Onu-Matoran.

Dalu looked in confusion at the human, "She saved me."

"Don't be so sure," Garan warned. "Avak did the same thing, and it turned out it was all just a trick to further gain our friends' trust."

Kit launched another energy ball, only to witness the spider leap into the air to avoid it, revealing Balta. The Ta-Matoran almost didn't get his twin repellers up in time, and the ball bounced off—right toward Piruk. "Oh no!" Balta cried out, realizing his mistake. Piruk, too frightened to move, just stood there wide-eyed as the ball came closer and closer.

"Run!" a voice called, and, the next thing Piruk knew, a tall form placed itself between him and the energy ball.

Not able to summon a shield in time, the only thing Kit could think to do was cross her wrists in front of her face. The ball struck, blasting Kit into the cliff, and Piruk almost didn't avoid it in time. With Kit stunned at the moment, the spider saw its chance and advanced. The girl saw it coming and prepared to defend herself. However, the spider saw the opening it needed and struck out with its leg. Kit cried out in pain and clutched her wound. Almost immediately, she knew something was wrong; she began to feel numb. When she fell to her hands and knees, the spider decided to turn its attention back to the Matoran. Just when it was about to lunge, an energy beam struck the ground before it, leaving a scorch mark. Both Matoran and Rahi turned to find the source and were surprised, to say the least. It was Kit, panting and struggling to stay on her feet. 'Impossible,' thought Kazi. 'Dagger spider venom's enough to subdue even a Kane Ra bull.' Before anyone could do anything, Kit came upon the spider in a flash and sent it flying with a powered up upper-cut. The Rahi screeched, landed, and ran back into the jungle. Once she could see no sign of the spider, Kit finally collapsed, exhausted.

The Matoran congregated around her, shocked. "She fought to protect us, even under the venom's effects," said Balta.

"Plus she saved Piruk and me," added Dalu. "Maybe she is a friend."

Garan rolled Kit onto her back and examined her wound. "She'll be fine, but we need to get her an antidote."

"But, we don't have any dagger spider antivenom," said Piruk.

"Yes, we do," corrected Kazi. "I have some in my home at the village."

"Go get it," Garan told the Ko-Matoran. "The rest of us will get her to the base."

As Kazi departed, the others worked to pick up and carry Kit as best as they could. However, it turned out to be a task easier said than done; even with all of them working together, they could barely lift Kit off of the ground. Kazi met up with them after retrieving the antivenom and helped his friends carry the girl the rest of the way.

* * *

"Phew, I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my life," huffed Piruk as he plopped down on the ground. They finally managed to get Kit to the cave and laid her down on a bed of dry seaweed. Velika held up the girl's head while Kazi slowly and carefully poured the antivenom into her mouth. Kit gave a little cough as the medicine went down her throat, but otherwise didn't protest.

After administering the proper dose, Velika gently placed Kit's head down and Kazi put away the bottle saying, "Now, we wait."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the jungle, Hakann thought about something he saw earlier. He saw a dagger spider flying in the air. At first, he just dismissed it as a confrontation between two Rahi. However, now that he thought about it, he recalled that there was a slight glow underneath the spider. 'It was attacked by something alright,' he thought to himself, 'but it was no Rahi.' The only beings he knew that could have power like that were either one of the Piraka themselves, which couldn't be possible considering they were all present at the fortress at the time, or . . .

"Toa!" his companion, Reidak, called.

Getting back to reality, Hakann noticed a team of six Toa, all wearing masks and armor he'd never seen before. The next thing he knew, the black Piraka was throwing a rock at the assembled heroes.


	2. A Shaky Start

Disclaimer: I don't own most of the events in this story, which is based on the events in the books.

* * *

A little later, back at the Matoran base, Kit began to stir. "Oh, good, you're awake," a voice said. When the source was discovered to be Garan, Kit tried to inch away.

"Whoa, take it easy," Dalu said as she gently, but firmly, ushered the girl to a sitting position. "You're still under the effects of the dagger spider venom."

"Dagger spider?" asked Kit.

"That Rahi that you fought off," Piruk explained, "and, judging from your reaction, you're used to spiders who inject their venom with their fangs, not their legs."

Kit couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the Matoran who, last she remembered, had taken her prisoner. Now, they were being friendly with her? "How are you feeling?" asked Kazi.

"Better," the girl answered, "but still a little numb."

Kazi held out the bottle, "Here, this'll help." Kit looked at the container warily. "It's ok, it's antivenom," the Ko-Matoran assured her.

After taking a sip, and trying hard not to grimace at the antivenom's taste, Kit had to ask, "Why the sudden change of mind?"

"A fusi once spotted a Muaka racing toward it, intending to make it it's next meal, but it managed to get away," said Velika. "Another day, the same fusi spotted another Muaka that was only passing through, and it ran as if its very life depended on it."

A brief pause followed, and Kit turned to the others, "What was that all about?"

"Velika has a unique way of looking at things," explained Garan. "What he's saying is we were hasty and misjudged you. We're sorry."

"Accepted," Kit responded with a smile, then noticed that one Matoran was missing. "Where's that Ta-Matoran, Balta?"

Piruk told her of their raid against the Piraka earlier. Balta managed to steal one of the spheres that the Piraka used to enslave their friends, but had to draw away the two that were after him. "We've been waiting for him to return, but, so far, there's been no sign of him," Dalu said with a worried tone.

"And, I'm afraid we can't wait any longer," said Garan. "We're going to have to scope out the situation without him." The group began to head out when Kit grabbed the Onu-Matoran's shoulder.

"I'm coming with you," she declared.

"Sorry, Kit, it's too dangerous," said Garan. "We're going near the vicinity of the Piraka stronghold."

"More dangerous than for you five Matoran going there yourselves?" the girl inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

"She did put up a good fight earlier," Dalu pointed out.

Knowing he was defeated, and that both the human and Ga-Matoran had a point, Garan sighed and beckoned Kit to follow.

* * *

Hidden from view, Axonn observed the small group of Matoran accompanied by an organic being who told the little ones more about herself.

"So you're from a different dimension?" Piruk asked, eyes wide with wonder.

"And, you're a Protector, an individual who defends realms from evil forces that wish to alter them in ways that're harmful?" inquired Kazi, interested.

"Uh-huh," Kit nodded.

From his hiding place, Axonn smiled; he didn't need his Mask of Truth to tell him that the girl was trustworthy. 'The more allies we have on this island, the better off we'll be,' he said to himself.

* * *

"So, they're having your friends drain out the lava from the volcano?" Kit asked as she kept her eyes focused on the laboring Matoran.

Garan nodded in confirmation, "We believe that they're looking for something hidden beneath the lava pool."

Suddenly, a tremor shook the ground. "What was that?" asked the girl, startled.

"Mt. Valmai's a very active volcano," Dalu answered. "You'll get used to the tremors."

Kit was about to say something when Piruk gestured for everyone to be quite. They could all hear it—footsteps accompanied by a slight growl. At first, Kit thought it was Rahi, but she soon learned how wrong she was. A few feet away, she spotted a red armored figure that looked like it walked right out of a nightmare. Spikes ran down its spine, its huge teeth gleamed in the sunlight, and it carried a weapon that was loaded with the same spheres that Garan told her about. Luckily, it didn't seem to notice them and kept going on its way.

"Is that one of those Piraka I've heard of?" Kit whispered.

Dalu nodded, "Hakann to be precise."

"C'mon," Garan urged, "let's go."

The group, however, didn't get farther than a few steps when the Onu-Matoran's foot stepped on a twig, making it snap noisily. The four were down on the ground in an instant, which turned out to be a good thing, for just a second later a beam flew over their heads. Through the bushes, they saw that Hakann had returned. "Come out," he ordered, knowing by now that what he heard was no Rahi.

"I'll distract him," Kit whispered, "you guys go on and I'll catch up to you later." Before any of the Matoran could stop her, the girl was on her feet and gone in a flash.

* * *

Seeing something darting from the bushes, Hakann turned to see someone heading into the jungle. 'Now, this is getting interesting,' he maliciously grinned, and took off, unaware that five Matoran were making their move. Kit, meanwhile, ran as fast as her legs would go; she could hear the Piraka closing in. She came to a clearing and nearly tripped over her own feet when she forced herself to make a sudden stop. A cliffside blocked her way and there was no time to find somewhere to hide—Hakann had arrived. While the girl caught her breath, the Piraka looked upon her with evil curiosity as he kept his zamor launcher trained on her. Hakann took a step forward, but ended up having to defend himself from Kit's energy ball. "Ooh, a feisty one," said the Piraka. "This ought to be fun."

"We'll see how 'fun' you think it is when I shove your face into the ground," Kit retorted.

Hakann growled and let loose more spheres. Kit worked fast to block the spheres and, once she spotted her chance, she fired an energy ball, forcing the Piraka to drop his weapon. "I don't need that to take you down," snarled Hakann, and he fired his heat beams. Kit barely managed to dodge, leaped into the air, and landed a foot on the Piraka's face. Landing behind him, the girl swept her enemy's legs, tripping him. She flipped up and landed hard on his stomach. Hakann wheezed as the air in his lungs was forced out of him, and he slumped to the ground. Kit tentatively tapped the Piraka's chest, but there was no response. With a triumphant smirk, she disappeared into the jungle.

* * *

Kit estimated she was no more than halfway back to the stronghold. With luck, Garan and the others would be waiting for her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of battle. Feeling a sense of dread slither up and down her spine, she ran to catch up to her friends. Finally, she made it, but it was worse than she thought. Garan and the other Matoran had found the Toa Nuva and were fighting them. 'You'd think they'd have learned their lesson after dealing with me,' she said to herself. Deciding she had to do something before someone got hurt, she raced down toward the fray. She had just reached the edge of the clearing when she noticed the fighting had stopped. The Toa's masks were missing; Tahu, Pohatu, Garan, and Dalu were glaring at each other; Velika, Piruk, and Kazi were frozen statues of ice; Onua and Lewa were trying to keep a struggling Kopaka pinned to the ground; and Gali was nowhere to be seen. Because she was still amongst the bushes, neither side was aware of her presence.

"Who are you?" Garan demanded. "And, don't try to tell me you are some kind of Toa. I have heard that one before and it cost me almost all of my friends."

Kit rolled her eyes; she had a pretty good idea about where this was going.

"Whether you believe it or not does not alter the facts," Onua replied. "We are Toa Nuva, from the island of Mata Nui."

In contempt, Garan snorted. "Toa what? Island of what? Not only are you lying, they are not even good lies. There is no such thing as a Toa Nuva . . . and no island of Mata Nui exists, or we would know of it. You are allies of the Piraka, aren't you, come to help them subjugate our brothers and sisters?"

The next minute, which felt like an eternity, passed with the Toa trying to convince the remaining Matoran of their sincerity only to have their claims fall on deaf fears and suspicious, closed minds. Kit could see and feel the apprehension from both sides; both had too much at stake and neither was willing to be the first to back down. When it became apparent that both sides were getting ready to fight again, the girl knew it was now or never. "Stop it!" she called as she placed herself between the two factions, who immediately halted.

"Kit!" Tahu and Garan exclaimed simultaneously.

A very tense moment, with Kit gazing steely at the Matoran, passed before Garan said, "Kit, move out of the way."

Kit, however, didn't budge in the least, "Garan, remember what I said about some friends of mine who were Toa that would be coming?" The Onu-Matoran nodded. "Well, these are them," the girl gestured. "Are you guys really that eager to have a fight that you'll even do so against those who are sworn to protect you?" Though Kit's tone was questioning, Garan could sense she was chastising him and Dalu, no doubt because they assumed the same thing about her not too long ago. "And, more importantly, how do you know they're lying?" Kit continued with narrowed eyes. "Tell me truthfully, Garan. When was the last time you had any contact whatsoever from the outside world, besides recently?" The Matoran's silence was answer enough. "Then, how do you know that there's no such thing as a Toa Nuva? Or an island of Mata Nui? How can you possibly know that if you never left this island or received any news from the outside world in the last few thousand years?"

Dalu was about to speak in Garan's defense when they all heard a shout from a nearby rocky slope. It was Balta, running as fast as he could move his legs toward the clearing. "Another one," Lewa grumbled. "We are going to spend all sun-day battle-fighting Matoran, while the Piraka wander free."

"Not if I, for one, can help it," said Kit. 'Which is something I'd rather not do,' she added to herself.

"No one is going to fight anyone," Balta declared, then he turned to his fellow Matoran. "Kit's right; you're making a mistake. These aren't our enemies. I'm not sure who they are, but I know that a battle now would be a terrible error."

Even though closer inspection showed that Balta wasn't exhibiting any of the symptoms of being under the Piraka's control, Garan found himself unsure of what to think. "Garan," said Kit, catching the Onu-Matoran's attention, "if you won't believe me, then believe Balta." As much as he wanted to, Garan couldn't. There was once a time when he would've, but now, after all that had happened on Voya Nui, he needed more than even an old friend's word.

Seeing the matter had to be brought to an end, Onua stepped up. When Dalu moved in, Kit stepped in front of her and shook her head. Reluctantly, the Ga-Matoran allowed the Earth Toa to come closer. The Toa of Earth silently dropped his quake-breakers and took off his Nuva armor. When he was done, the Toa said, "There. No mask. No weapons. No extra armor. I've seen what your pulse bolts can do, Matoran, so use one now if you want war so badly. Kill me and my friends, and see if it gets you anywhere nearer to freeing your island from evil."

Kit looked at the Earth Toa in realization, almost having a feeling of deja vu. 'He's doing the very same thing he did with Lewa,' she said to herself. 'When he was under the control of the kraana. Let's hope it works again.'

Garan, meanwhile, looked at the discarded tools armor, then up at Onua. If this being really was a Toa, the black armor meant he was a Toa of Earth, protector of all Onu-Matoran. This guy had the power strike down both him and Dalu with a single, effortless blow, and he offered Garan to use his weapons against him? Mind finally made up, he nodded and threw down his weapons as well. When Dalu protested, Balta assured her it had to be done; the remaining free Matoran already had a fight that had been thrust upon them; they didn't need another one. Kit let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Pohatu stepped up to her, "It's good to see you again, Kit. Though, I wish it was under better circumstances."

"It's good to see you guys, too," said the girl. "Now, let's go get your masks back."

* * *

After a long walk, and being reunited with Gali, the group made it to the Piraka stronghold. Garan told Piruk to keep an eye out for the Piraka while Kit and the Toa tried to find a way to open the rear door. Though Balta had warned them of how well it was made, it was agreed that it was the best shot they had at getting inside. So far, not even Kit's energy powers had made even the slightest dent. Kopaka was about to give it a try when Garan mentioned that he spotted Piruk's signal; one of the Piraka was coming. "Quick-hide, all of you," Lewa said with a smile. "I believe-think I know how to get this door wide-open." The Toa Nuva, Matoran, and Kit ducked out of sight just seconds before Reidak showed up. A few moments after the two exchanged some words, the Piraka swung a fist at the Toa of Air. Lewa dodged it at the last possible moment. "Very deep-impressive," the Air Toa commented at the huge dent Reidak's punch made in the door. "You will be remembered in story-legends as Reidak, beat-defeater of doors." Reidak let loose another punch, which Lewa dodged again.

Kit winced at the sight of the door now half off its hinges. 'This guy's strong,' she said to herself, finding herself hoping she wouldn't have to fight him anytime in the near future. She doubted that even her Toa armor suit would protect her from such savage blows.

Angry, Reidak aimed a third hit. "You look-seem so eager to go inside," the Toa said as he ducked and grabbed hold of the Piraka's arm. Using Reidak's own momentum, Lewa threw him through the door. "Don't let me ever-stop you!" Hearing a crash, Kit, the other Toa, and the Matoran came running to see what happened. They arrived to find Reidak getting up and, instead of the expected charge at them, he ran further inside.

Knowing they had to work fast, Pohatu leveled the floor with a mighty kick while Onua got to work digging a tunnel with his quake-breakers. "Your masks will be in the eastern section," Piruk shouted above the sound of the tools. "It's the most secure."

Within minutes, Onua burst through the floor of a chamber—a chamber that had the Toa Nuva's masks and tools—followed by the others. When the Toa placed their Kanohi on, a surge of power and energy enveloped their forms. "That feels better," said Pohatu. Kit placed a finger to her mouth, asking for everyone to be quiet. There were voices coming from the door—it was the Piraka. Tahu looked to the Toa, who all nodded, then to Kit, who also nodded. Pohatu and Onua walked to the door, readied themselves, and, with twin mighty punches, sent the door flying into the opposite wall.

"Knock knock," Tahu greeted the assembled Piraka.

"We heard you were trying to kill each other," Kopaka spoke up. "We are here to offer our help in that long overdue endeavor."

While Toa tensed their muscles in anticipation for battle, Kit, who was hanging back as a last line of defense for the Matoran, clenched her fist even tighter to keep herself from charging headlong into the enemy. Seeing that the other Piraka weren't going to aid him, Zaktan turned to a giant blue and gold figure. "Help me, and the spheres are yours, to do with as you wish. I will even share their secret!" Right then, with a battle cry, the Toa Nuva, Kit, and the Matoran charged. The titan agreed to Zaktan's deal and sealed it with a mighty swing of his bladed weapon. The next thing anyone still conscious knew, all thirteen heroes were on the ground, felled by that one, single blow.


	3. New Heroes, Old Friends

Groaning, she opened her eyes and found herself in a dark room. No, it wasn't a room—it was a cell. When Kit tried to move her arms, she found she couldn't. She gasped when she found out why. She was shackled to the wall by her wrists. Instinctively, she pulled at her restraints, but they held fast. She stopped when she heard the sound of the door being unlocked. She did her best not to show any fear when Zaktan walked in. "Ah, you're awake," said the Piraka leader, "and here I thought I was going to need to splash you with some water." The green Piraka came closer and peered at the girl, as if he were inspecting something of value. Kit, meanwhile, was reminded of the time when the Morbuzahk plant did the same thing with her back at Metru Nui. As much as she wanted to, she refused to give this sick monster the satisfaction of showing fear. As a result, her body trembled, wanting to react, but not being allowed to do so. Zaktan noticed and sneered, "Are you afraid?"

"No," Kit said, and without her voice shaking.

The Piraka leader frowned, but shrugged and reached out his hand. Hakann confirmed earlier that this was the one who, he begrudgingly admitted, defeated him in the jungle. 'Human' was the word that popped into his head when the red Piraka described her. Zaktan had no idea where that word came from and it felt so strange-sounding to him. The fact that this little creature, half the size of a Toa or Piraka, could put up a good fight and even beat one of his henchmen piqued his curiosity: How could someone with a fully organic and seemingly soft body withstand so much punishment?

His hand didn't get far, though, for he was suddenly blasted away with an energy ball. "Just because my hands are restrained, doesn't mean I can't launch an attack," Kit warned.

Zaktan growled and used the protodites that made up his being to extend his head right back at the girl who, upon impulse, slightly recoiled. "Do you know what these tiny things are, human," the Piraka hissed. Kit shook her head. "They are protodites," answered the Piraka. "Microscopic creatures that make up my entire being. In battle, I can surge them into an opponents wound and overwhelm him with pain, even kill him. I can even use them to suffocate someone by forcing enough of them down his throat. Therefore, if you are wise, you will not test me." Zaktan returned to his normal state and turned to leave.

"Wait," Kit called. "Where are the Toa Nuva and the Matoran? What did you, or are you going to, do to them?"

The green Piraka sneered over his shoulder. "The resistance leader's to be questioned and the rest are in a holding cell, waiting to be enslaved. As for the Toa, they've been put in a place where you'll never find them." Then, he exited the cell, leaving Kit to digest all that she saw and heard.

* * *

Soon after, the door opened again. This time, Vezok and Thok came in. Both Piraka gazed at the girl silently. Then Vezok chuckled, "Hakann must be getting soft. I can't believe that this puny little thing actually took him down."

"Big talk coming from a freak who couldn't catch a simple Matoran, who is half _my_ size, even if his pathetic excuse for a life depended on it," Kit retorted.

"What?!"

"Oh, sorry about that. What I really meant to say was . . . Piraka scum."

Vezok snarled and charged, or at least he tried to, but Thok grabbed him. "Let me hurt her," Vezok growled as he tried to make his way to the girl.

"Not unless you want to be the one to explain to Zaktan why she's in the condition he finds her in when he said she was not to be harmed until he said otherwise. Besides, she's just egging you on and you have an interrogation to do."

The blue Piraka managed to shrug off Thok's grip, but didn't go through with his attempted attack. "This isn't over," he told Kit, and the two left and locked the door.

* * *

How long had it been quiet since Thok and Vezok left? Minutes? Hours? She wasn't sure, but Kit snapped awake to what sounded like an explosion after feeling drowsy enough to fall asleep. A faraway explosion, but an explosion nonetheless. A few minutes later, she heard voices echoing in the hall outside. "Who's there? What's happening?" she called.

The sound of running feet could be heard, then a voice called from right outside the door, "Kit, are you in there? It's us." It was Garan.

After Kit gave him an affirmative, she heard Garan telling Velika to do his thing and to hurry. The next thing she knew, there was a noise like the lock was being picked. A click sounded, signaling the door was unlocked, and the Matoran rushed in. "Are you ok?" Kazi asked as Garan and Balta gave Piruk and Velika a boost up beside her.

"Let's just say you guys were no worse for wear than I was," Kit replied.

Velika and Piruk worked on the girl's shackles until she was finally freed. "Let's get out of here," said Balta.

"But, what about the Toa Nuva?" asked Kit. "We can't just leave them."

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice, Kit," said Kazi. "If we stay here any longer, the Piraka will have us and I seriously doubt that we'll be lucky enough to keep our lives."

Kit was about to protest further when a voice called, "Hey, how'd you get free?" It was Avak, and he was charging right at the group. Before anyone else could react, Balta raised his repellers just in time to intercept the Piraka's weapon. Avak was thrown back by the force of his own attack and through several walls.

Kit gazed in awe at the Ta-Matoran and his handiwork. "Dude, I gotta get me a pair of those," she commented as Balta grinned up at her. Then, Garan grabbed Kit's wrist and pulled.

* * *

They made for the foothills and stopped to catch their breath once they were sure they weren't being followed. Kit, however, couldn't stop looking back in the direction of the Piraka stronghold. She understood that the Matoran were right--they had to get out of there while they could, yet she just couldn't help but feel angry, dissapointed, and helpless at leaving the Toa, her friends, behind. If the Matoran noticed, they didn't say anything. The mention of new Toa piqued the girl out of her thoughts. "Are you sure?" she asked with hope in her voice.

Garan nodded, "Vezok asked me about it."

The girl frowned, "He could've just said that to get your hopes up, you know."

"I don't think so," the Onu-Matoran disagreed. "Vezok sounded quite nervous. He wanted me to say that we somehow rigged the effect, that it was the result of anything but the possibility of new Toa."

"Then, we need to find them," the girl declared.

"But, what if they end up like the Toa Nuva?" asked Piruk.

Garan recalled the last thing he saw before unconsciousness claimed him earlier—the six Toa Nuva and Kit battered by the power of the Piraka's new ally, a being who called himself Brutaka. "All I can say, Piruk, is that their fate can't be any worse," he replied. The group nodded in agreement and they split up.

'Maybe there's still a chance, yet,' Kit thought as she ran through the jungle. 'As for the Nuva, I'm not going to believe, even for half-a-second, that they're dead until I see it.'

* * *

Kit searched for what felt like hours, and she couldn't find any sign of any Toa whatsoever. She was about to consider giving up when she saw something in the sky. One of Garan's pulse bolts; it was a signal to come back to the Matoran refuge. 'He must've found them,' she said to herself, recalling the plan that if anyone found the new Toa, they were to send a signal of some sort to alert the others and meet back at the base. She made her way to the chamber as quickly as possible.

"There you are," said Balta when she entered. "We were beginning to wonder."

"I came as soon as I saw Garan's signal," she answered.

"Kit! Is that really you?" asked a voice.

Kit turned her attention to a red and yellow armored Toa whom she suspected was a Toa of Fire. She couldn't help but notice the remaining five Toa who all wore weird-looking masks. "Excuse me, but do I know you?" she asked the Fire Toa.

The Toa chuckled, "Kit, it's me. Jaller."

Kit's eyes widened in amazement, "Jaller?" Jaller nodded, and Kit glanced at the other Toa and guessed, "Hahli? Hewki? Kongu? Matoro? Nuparu?" They all nodded in confirmation. A silent pause followed, and Kit noted with a smile, "Wow, you guys sure have grown."

"Yeah, we've had an . . . interesting experience," said Nuparu, rubbing his head.

While Kit and the newly christened Toa Inika caught up, the Matoran just looked on in bewilderment. "What's going on?" Piruk asked.

"Apparently, they know each other," answered Kazi.

As if just remembering that they were there, Kit introduced the rest of the Matoran. Kongu looked upon the villagers quizzically, "This is all of you? Five Matoran on an entire island?"

"Five that're still free," Balta answered.

"Make that six."

Everyone turned to find Dalu entering. She smiled at Balta and reported to Garan that the alliance between the Piraka was falling apart. With Avak, Hakann, Reidak, and Thok missing and Zaktan fuming because of it, no one was keeping watch over the Matoran. If there was a chance to hit their enemies hard, it was now. "If you all want to turn and go, we'll understand," Garan addressed Jaller. "But, if you want to help, you must decide now."

The new Toa of Fire turned to Kit and his fellow Toa. They all nodded their heads while the girl added a thumbs up. "You just point us in the right direction," Jaller answered. "We'll take care of the hitting."

As if in reaction to the Fire Toa's words, a light purple glow suddenly emanated from underneath Kit's shirt. "Oh boy," said the girl, "I've been through this a couple of times." She lifted the top part of her shirt, letting her crystal float out. Though none of the Toa Inika had witnessed this event before, they'd heard of it and prepared themselves. The crystal did as was expected and, as quickly as it started, it was over.

"What was that all about?" asked Piruk.

With a grin, Kit summoned her power. Ribbons of yellowish-gold energy wrapped around her form. When they dissipated, a new Toa armor suit was revealed. The new suit was pretty similar to the others, except for a few differences: the cover for her abdomen was dark gray outlined with yellow; her thick-soled boots had the knee guards attached; and the guards for her upper arms were white instead of black. "This is what that was all about," Kit answered as the assembled Matoran's eyes widened in wonder. Noticing the interesting apparatus' on her lower arms, Kit, upon reflex, clenched her hand into a fist—and the spikes reached out, looking very much like Nuparu's claws. "Cool," she remarked.

Instantly, Velika held Kit's arm and inspected the claws and the mechanism that made them reach out and retract, fascinated. He would've studied Kit's entire suit if he were given the chance. "I really hate to interrupt your fun, Velika," Garan said as he placed a hand on the Po-Matoran's shoulder, "but we've got to get moving. We'll split into three teams: Toa Jaller and Toa Hahli with Dalu and Piruk at the volcano, Toa Hewki and Toa Matoro with Balta and Kazi to locate someone who Kazi says can help us, and Toa Kongu Toa Nuparu, and Kit with Velika and me at the Piraka stronghold."

* * *

However, Kongu, Nuparu, and Kit soon learned that getting into the stronghold was going to be a task far easier said than done. The nektann, robotic guardians of the fortress, were firing destructive blasts at them faster than they could launch an attack. "It's getting our range. We have to withdraw," Garan called out as he ducked behind a boulder. He was followed shortly after by Kongu and Kit.

For the next minute, Kongu and Garan argued about which was more important to rescue: the Matoran, or the Toa Nuva. "Listen, I understand you desire-want to help your friends," said Kongu. "But, without the Toa Nuva, none of _my_ friends would be bright-alive. I owe them."

Upon suggestion from Velika, and translation from Garan, Toa Nuparu dove from the sky and burrowed beneath the ground, the one place the nektann couldn't target him. Soon after, two explosions rocked the area. Kit and Kongu looked at each other and tentatively peeked over the boulder. The two robots were twin smoking piles of scrapmetal and Nuparu was smiling proudly. Apparently, the nektann's protective armor did not extend to the underside. However, it wasn't as over as they thought; the scattered pieces of the robots were starting to reassemble themselves, much like the Vahki in Metru Nui. "Something tells me we better get inside," Kit said nervously.

Nuparu agreed, "Round two might not go as smoothly."

The five of them sprinted for the massive door of the gateway entrance. Nuparu and Kit were about to use their respective weapons when Kongu asked them to let him. The Toa of Earth and girl obliged, the Air Toa fired a bolt of energy from his crossbow that pierced the lock, and the door swung open. 'Here we go,' Kit thought.

Inside, the Piraka stronghold felt as cold as death itself; Kit had her arms wrapped around her in an instant. Everyone kept their eyes and ears open for any sound or movement. Every locked door they found that Kongu 'picked' they hoped to find the Toa Nuva. Instead, all they found were empty rooms and chambers filled with pieces of equipment. One room in particular that they just unlocked had walls that had the words 'Vezok' and 'Vezon' crudely scratched on. "Well, I know Vezok's a Piraka," said Kit, "but who, or what, is Vezon?"

"Vezon's the Matoran word for 'double'," Toa Nuparu explained, "but, other than similar sounds, I don't see the connection between the two."

Further inspection revealed many more empty chambers, until they discovered one that looked like it had been used not too long ago. It was huge and, judging from the stack of relics in one corner and the two machines in the center that reminded Kit of the bucking bull robots back at home, it seemed to serve as a cross between a trophy room and a training room. "Glad I missed that," Kongu remarked as he spied upon a carving of the Piraka riding a gigantic beast that he had only heard of from Turaga Vakama's stories—the Tahtorak. Hearing a gasp from Kit, the Toa Inika and Matoran were by her side in a flash. The girl eyes were wide with horror and her hands were up to her mouth. Nuparu was about to ask her what the matter was when he saw himself, and wished he didn't. Hung on the wall before them were the Toa Nuva's masks, the Piraka's latest trophies of conquest.

"Mata Nui, preserve us," whispered Nuparu.

Beside him, Kit gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as she felt anger boiling up inside of her. "I told you we couldn't leave them," she whirled at Garan, her outburst taking the Onu-Matoran by surprise that he took a step back. "We should've rescued them when we had the chance, but you had to leave them behind."

"There was no time to look for them," Garan countered. "This place is huge and Vezok could've recovered any moment. We had to get out while there was a chance."

Kit was about to say something more when Toa Kongu placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough, Kit," he said in a firm, but gentle tone. "Garan's right. Besides, the masks don't necessarily mean that they're cold-dead. For all we know, they could've simply been brought to down-ground. Either way, they will be avenged."

A few long, tense minutes passed before Kit's fist and expression relaxed and she looked Garan in the eye. "Sorry, Garan," she apologized, and the resistance leader nodded in acceptance.

"Do we . . . do we take them with us?" asked Nuparu, referring to the masks. Pointing out that they had no means of carrying or storing them and they needed their hands free for fighting, Kongu said the Toa Nuva's masks would be safe where they were.

The group continued with their search, but with a heavy silence. Kongu, Nuparu, and Kit had been hoping the whole time that they would find the Toa Nuva. Now, they were faced with the possibility that their friends were dead. Kit tried to push the thought out of her mind, tried to remind herself of her personal vow earlier—that she would never believe the Toa Nuva were dead until she actually saw their bodies—but, the memory of seeing the empty, lifeless masks hanging on the wall haunted her. The party's exploration continued until they came upon a massive central chamber where an enormous vat sat. Inside the container sloshed some kind of greenish-black liquid that Garan identified as the substance that the Piraka used to enslave the Voya Nui Matoran. "We must destroy it," he proclaimed.

"And, what a terrible waste that would be," a voice hissed behind them. Whirling around, Kit, the Toa, and the Matoran found the Piraka and Brutaka in the entryway. "I might not be able to recreate it," Zaktan continued where he left off.

The villainous group's further gloating was unexpectedly interrupted by the west wall being blasted into rubble. Out of the smoke and dust came Jaller, Hahli, Hewkii, and Matoro, determination and rage burning in their eyes. After the Toa Inika of Fire gave the Piraka their only two choices—leave Voya Nui under their own willpower, or get thrown off, adding the threat that if they chose the second option, there wouldn't be enough of them left to feed a Makuta fish—the Toa Inika of Earth and Air and Kit moved to stand by their friends. The group of heroes unsheathed their weapons and warmed up their elemental and energy powers, ready for battle.

"I'll give you some time to consider surrendering," said Jaller. "Oops, time's up."

"Jaller?" Kit asked, trying hard not to giggle.

"What do you expect when I've got a kohliihead for one of my closest friends?" the Toa of Fire grinned. And, the anticipated fight was on.


	4. Approaching Danger

While the Matoran resistance snuck away to carry out their part, Kit and the Toa Inika fought with Brutaka and the Piraka. With the boys handling Brutaka, Zaktan, Thok, Avak, and Hakann, Kit and Hahli were left to deal with Reidak and Vezok. 'Our two favorite Piraka,' Kit thought sarcastically. Fighting these two was going to be tricky, for while one could adapt himself after every defeat so he couldn't be beaten the same way twice, the other was a copycat; he could absorb whatever attack that was dealt to him to his own power and use it at his disposal.

"Which one do you want?" asked the Water Toa.

"You're mine, runt," growled the blue Piraka before he charged.

"That answer your question?" Kit replied just before barely managing to put up a shield and was pushed back from Vezok's charge. Before Hahli could assist, she found herself under attack by the black Piraka.

It took all of Kit's strength to stand her ground, but Vezok wasn't letting up. 'I have to risk it,' she said to herself and pushed back with her shield. Now, with some space between her and Vezok, the girl followed up with a powered-up spinning jump kick, sending the blue Piraka to the floor. Vezok had to admit it hurt, which made him smile even more. Using the girl's power that he just absorbed, he moved in with an energized punch. Kit soon found herself dodging punch after punch. 'If I can just hit him hard enough that he falls unconscious,' she thought to herself. She backed up until her back touched the wall; she was cornered. Vezok chuckled evilly, chambered a glowing fist, and let it go. Thinking and moving quickly, Kit ducked, letting the Piraka's fist hit the wall, and leaped up with a palm-heel to Vezok's chin. The blue Piraka cried out in pain and, before he could recover, the girl moved in with a barrage of energy balls and finished with twin energy beams. Vezok crashed into the opposite wall, leaving a good-sized hole in his wake, but didn't get up.

Kit was about to go see about helping Hahli when, completely by chance, she noticed Hakann was aiming a golden zamor sphere at Brutaka. "Look out!" she called shortly before Jaller cried out, but it was too late. Everything seemed to happen so fast and so slowly at the same time. Hakann fired the sphere as Thok touched his armor and Jaller and Kit tried to stop him. Brutaka turned at the sound of the young human's warning, but the sphere struck him, dematerialized, and passed into him. The next thing everyone in the room knew, Brutaka's knees buckled as a bolt of black lightning flashed from the titan to the red and white Piraka. Once the transfer was complete, Brutaka fell to the floor. He was so still, Kit wondered for a moment if the giant was dead. Kit and Jaller stopped short, horrified.

There was an aura of raw power surrounding Hakann's form. The Piraka grinned maliciously and lightly tapped the girl, who, as if she had been struck by a bulldozer, crashed into the Toa of Fire and the two flew across the room. The world went dark around them as the two hit the stone wall. "I did it!" Hakann shouted triumphantly. Almost instantly, the other Piraka and Toa Inika halted their own battles, wondering what was going on.

"_We_ did it," Thok growled as he glared at his colleague. "You were going to steal all of the power for yourself. If I hadn't spotted you--"

"But, you did," Hakann retorted. "Now, with this power, we take whatever we want from this wretched island as well as destroy the Toa, the Dark Hunters, and yes, even the Brotherhood of Makuta itself!" Deciding to try out the growth of his natural powers, Thok, with only the barest fraction of his new power, brought the Piraka stronghold to life. The Toa, Piraka, and Kit found themselves seized by arms that grew out from the walls and their legs were bound by shackles formed from the very ground they stood on. A stone hand lifted the two traitorous Piraka up into the air and Hakann smiled as he looked down on the battle field.

While the red Piraka talked, Kit struggled to free herself, but she couldn't move a muscle. Taking a look around, she saw two people were missing, 'Where are Nuparu and Zaktan?' The next thing she knew, she and the others were struck by one of Hakann's mental blasts, now ten times more powerful than before, making something as normal as thinking an excruciating experience.

* * *

Later, Toa Nuparu walked through a hole where a wall once stood, carrying a cocoon of earth that held a semi-conscious green Piraka. Upon seeing his friends, bound in stone and just waking up, he dropped his load and ran to free Jaller. "What happened?" asked the Earth Toa.

"That's not as important as what's going to," answered the Toa of Fire, and strode over to Brutaka.

'Why did that feel like I've been through something like that before?' Kit said to herself as she steadied herself against a wall. The pain induced by that mental attack felt very similar to the energy surge that wiped out her memory in the time warp that sent her into the past.

Meanwhile, through confirmation from Kongu, Jaller was proving that Brutaka and someone called Axonn's minds would've been shielded against any knowledge seeking attack. Therefore, the fallen giant wasn't blasted into unconsciousness like they were, but gave up the secret location of the Mask of Life to Hakann and Thok under pain of death. "Nothing could make them part with that knowledge—except cowardice."

"Or necessity," said a voice.

The Toa Inika and girl turned to find a gigantic form standing amidst the rubble. "Who are you?" asked Jaller, taking the question out of everyone's mouths.

"It's enough that you can be sure we are on the same side, Toa," said the giant. "And, I think who I am is less important than what I know."

"So, you're the 'Axonn' character I've heard so much about," the girl noted, and Axonn nodded in reply.

When Jaller told the stranger where Hakann and Thok were going, Axonn proclaimed that he'd stop them. Kit, however, surprised everyone by grabbing Axonn's arm and roughly pulling him back around. "We don't have time for this! I don't care how powerful you are, you can't handle those freaks all on your own. Just tell the Toa where they went and let them do their jobs."

Axonn's eyes slightly widened at the girl's bluntness. 'She's got a stout heart, I'll give her that,' he said to himself. Knowing she was right, he sighed and asked for the human and the Toa Inika to come with him, away from the Piraka, and he would tell them everything.

The Piraka, though, were not too fond about being left out of a conversation that would no doubt reveal interesting information. "You need us," said Avak.

"Right. Like we need another shadow plague," Kongu scoffed.

"Maybe you won't talk so much, Toa, with your mask stuffed in your mouth," Reidak growled. The black Piraka then yelped when he felt a small, but still painful, burn on the back of his shoulder. He scanned around, but only found Kit, and she was facing Axonn and the others.

Spotting his gaze on her, she turned and asked, "What?" Avak continued where he left off.

"You know and we know: The only way you are going to stop Hakann and Thok is to reverse what they did to Brutaka. And, only we know how to do that. We'll make a zamor sphere that can reverse the process, but only if we go with you."

"Get serious, will ya?" said the girl with a cocked eyebrow.

"I am serious."

"You're insane is what you are if you think we're going to let you free."

"Besides," Hewkii chimed in with a smile, "we could find other ways to get the information from you."

"Even if you had the will," the brown Piraka laughed, "and you don't, Toa, not 'heroes' like you—you don't have the time."

"He's right," Hahli agreed, and made the point that they couldn't afford to become worse than the ones they fight.

And so, the unpleasant decision to free the Piraka was reached. True to Avak's word, they worked on creating a zamor sphere that would undo what Hakann and Thok did to Brutaka. Kit, Jaller, and Matoro noticed that Axonn was investigating the empty spheres with the eye of an archaeologist. 'It's like they're the most fascinating he's ever seen,' thought Kit. 'But, assuming he's been around here as long as I believe he's been, what in the world could be so interesting about an empty ball?' Suddenly, some strange movement in the shadows caught the corner of her eye. However, when she turned her head to get a better look, there was nothing there. Feeling a sudden chill breeze past her, her arms huddled around her.

"Hey, Matoro, what was that for?"

"What was what for?"

"That cold breeze."

The Toa Inika of Ice looked at the girl oddly, "That wasn't me." Kit glanced at where she thought she saw something earlier, scratching her head in confusion.

With a shrug, she said to herself, 'I must be seeing things.'

Just then, Jaller made the announcement that they were ready to go. "Are you coming with us?" the Fire Toa asked Axonn.

"No," the giant responded. "I'm staying here."

"I see. As backup, in case we fail?"

"No, Toa. In case you succeed."

Kit and Jaller followed Axonn's gaze to the still semiconscious form of Brutaka. That's when they understood: If they were successful in giving back Brutaka his stolen powers, he would be returned to full strength and would come after them. Therefore, someone had to remain to stall him and buy them more time to deal with the Piraka and get the mask. "Kit," Jaller addressed the girl, "it might be best if you stay here."

To all of the Inika's slight surprise, Kit didn't ask any questions and nodded in agreement. And then, the unlikely allies departed, leaving Kit and Axonn in the chamber. The silver and crimson titan turned to the girl and asked, "And, what are you going to be up to? It wouldn't be wise for you to be here when Brutaka's revived."

"I'm going to take a look around; see if I can find the Matoran," Kit answered, and she started walking toward the entrance to the hallway where the Matoran disappeared what felt like hours ago. "I'm getting a little concerned; I know this place is big, but you'd think they would've found the Toa Nuva by now, and we need all the help we can get."

"Young one, be careful," Axonn called to her before she was out of sight. "The Piraka maybe absent and all of the Matoran they enslaved may be free, but there's no telling what sort of traps or dangers may still lurk here."

Kit nodded and vanished into the shadows. Axonn, meanwhile, felt extremely uneasy; with his mask, he sensed something a moment ago, something he could only describe as out-of-place and it was still skulking around in the fortress. They were not alone.

* * *

Kit tried to trace the steps of where she believed Garan and the others would've gone. Although, that task quickly proved to be easier said than done; the fact of the matter was there was really no way of telling which way they went. She switched to her Nuva armor suit for the scope, in hope that the infrared or any mode would give some clue. Unfortunately, the scope revealed nothing; they were too far away to be detected. With a sigh, she switched off her armor suit, revealing her usual clothes, and kept walking. Losing all track of time, Kit looked through doors and kept her ears and eyes open for anything.

All of a sudden, she stopped in her tracks and her eyes widened in fear. She didn't know how she knew, but something was here. Her ears caught a sound that she could only describe as moving air. Slowly, she turned around. Not a few feet away from her was a wisp of smoke-like cloud—and it was taking shape. Kit could make out the upper half of a woman with long flowing hair and her eyes were locked on her. Then, just like in the antidermis chamber earlier, everything seemed to happen so fast, yet so slow at the same time. The smoke-lady moved fast toward Kit with an evil smile, and Kit, in the blink of an eye and upon reflex, tried to shield herself with her arms as she summoned her Toa armor suit.

The smoke-lady went through the girl, Kit's suit sparked with electricity, both let out screams of pain. The smoke-lady faltered, but regained her bearings and looked upon the young human laying on the floor. She was alive, just unconscious. Not what she had in mind, but it seemed that what she originally had intended for the girl was not possible now, and she had more essential things that required her attention. And so, as if being blown by a wind, she left.

* * *

Groaning and blurry vision starting to clear little by little each time she blinked, Kit woke up. At first, she was confused. Why was she lying on the floor? Then, memories of her encounter with the smoky ghost flashed past her mind's eye. 'It attacked me,' she thought, 'or, at least, it _tried_ to.' What stopped it? Looking down at herself, she realized that the armor suit she summoned was the Inika one and she remembered both the slight tingle she felt that didn't hurt or tickle all over her body when the ghost attacked and it was because their elemental powers were laced with lightning that the Toa Inika were invulnerable to the effects of the zamor spheres.

As amazing as it sounded, it was the only thing Kit could think of that would explain why it screamed in pain—it was stopped by the electricity that, apparently, coursed through her Inika suit. 'Why would a ghost be hurt by electricity?' she wondered. With a start, she knew where the ghost, or whatever it was, was heading and she had to get there fast. As she made her way outside and through the jungle, another detail about her encounter came back to her. When the ghost went through her body, there was a brief moment where it seemed like their minds had become connected, that she could hear her thoughts. Though the connection didn't last long, it was enough to hear the ghost thinking of a name—Matoro.

Kit had no idea what a ghost would want from the new Toa of Ice, but, if the attack from earlier was any indication, she had a very bad feeling that it wasn't anything good. Heart and legs pumping, breathing fast, and praying that she wouldn't be too late, Kit ran faster than she'd ever moved before; everything just seemed to become a blur all around her.

* * *

After what felt like eons, Kit finally reached her destination. Legs feeling like lead and completely out of breath, she nearly collapsed. Breathing hard, she gazed around; the clearing was freshly scarred from battle and, built into a nearby rockface, was the entryway to a long, winding staircase that went underground. 'Sure matches Axonn's description,' she thought to herself. Despite her legs protesting to rest some more, Kit walked toward the entrance. With slight reluctance, she walked down the steps, the sound of her feet echoing throughout the chamber. She remembered Axonn warned Jaller about certain beings who existed for one purpose and one purpose only—to keep the unworthy from reaching the Mask of Life. Which, unfortunately, meant if she was to keep up with the Toa Inika, she too would have to prove her worth to continue by defeating said guardians.

After walking for what felt like hours, Kit finally came to a fork. The right path was blocked with a wall of stone, but the left was open. With a shrug, she headed left. She only managed two steps before she heard the approach of another coming from the tunnel. Tensing up, Kit aimed a gun-hand down the stairway, "Ok, pal, let me see you. Nice and easy."

Soon, the figure in the shadows started to take shape, and it took Kit's breath away. Though she had never met the person in this form, there was no mistaking that yellowish-golden mask and that crimson armor—it was Toa Lhikan. "It's good to see you're doing well, Kit," Lhikan smiled as he reached out a hand.

"Don't," the girl said firmly and keeping her hand trained on him. "Not another step. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you're not Lhikan. Lhikan died, what would be in this world, centuries ago. I know, I was there; he died right in front of my eyes."

Lhikan continued to smile warmly, "The Toa Inika said something along the same lines when I greeted them."

"The Toa Inika came through here?"

"Yes, and I'll give you the same warning I gave them: Go back while you can."

Kit looked at the Toa in disbelief, then she narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, but not gonna happen. One of the Inika, Matoro, is in danger. Something that tried to attack me earlier is after him and knows he's down here. I have to get to him and warn him before it does. Besides, if you really are Toa Lhikan, would you just give up and go home when you knew your entire universe was depending on you?"

"A Toa of Fire—Jaller I believe his name was—asked me the same question."

"And what was your answer?"

" 'No, I wouldn't. But, then, look what happened to me.'"

"You sound as if you regret it. Except, as Turaga Lhikan laid dying, he spoke with the tone of one who was proud to die doing what he did, especially for Vakama."

Kit aimed her gun-hand right at the Toa's heartlight, "Either ditch the disguise and show me your real face, coward, or get out of my sight and let me through before I go through you myself, and, trust me, it ain't gonna be pretty."

In response, Lhikan disappeared into the shadows from whence he came. Once she was sure he was gone, Kit let out an unintentionally held breath, let down her hands and proceeded down the stairs. She turned around a bend and almost didn't dodge a blast of lightning bolts—_purple_ lightning bolts. 'It can't be!' she said to herself. Looking back ahead, she saw it was. The one responsible for the bolts was none other than Darcius.

"No, you can't be Darcius," said Kit, her voice still heavy with disbelief. "You're dead, I killed you. You evaporated into nothingness; I saw it." Instead of the evil laugh, denial, or explanation she was expecting, Darcius just casually lifted his hand and fired another round of bolts. Kit summoned a shield and, without her urging, it charged forward towards her arch nemesis. The shield came so fast, Darcius didn't have time, let alone space, to dodge. He was slammed hard into the wall and slumped to the floor.

Kit, powers ready, waited for him to get up, but he didn't. Cautiously, she approached Darcius' still form. Now, she was only a foot away from him, and he didn't even stir. She gently jabbed at his shoulder with a finger, waved a hand in front of him, even snapped her fingers both in front of his face and his ear, but he still didn't wake up. Remembering her last encounter with him, she looked at his chest, only to find no evidence of the light. That left only one thing to do and, with a gulp, she reached with her index and middle fingers and felt his neck. There was no pulse; he was dead.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Kit suddenly found herself rather confused. She managed to defeat Darcius easily, yet she had seen him recover from worse. She shrugged and decided to continue on her way. She started, however, when Darcius' form began to shift and change. Once the transformation was complete, Kit's eyes widened in pure, utter horror.

* * *

Though they were in two separate locations, both the Piraka and Toa Inika jumped at the sound of a scream. A terrible scream that echoed throughout the underground chamber.

"Mata Nui, that's Kit," said Hahli.

"I thought she was back at the stronghold with Axonn," Hewkii commented.

"Kongu?" Jaller asked.

The Toa of Air focused his mask's power of telepathy on the girl's thoughts in an effort to find out what was wrong, but couldn't. "I can't get a fix-lock on her. She's too far away," Kongu reported.

Matoro offered to go back the way they came via his spirit form, but Jaller turned him down. "What if you, for one reason or another, can't backtrack or come back?" asked the Toa of Fire. "We need to stay together. Besides, Kit's tough, I'm sure she'll be fine." And with that, the Toa followed Jaller down the steps, though he found himself wishing he was as confident as his words sounded.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own the smoke-lady and Kit (and Tehreisha, from earlier, sort of), but not Bionicle.


	5. Vezon

Kit stood as if frozen in place, trembling in shock, arms in front of her, her eyes as wide as saucers, and her face was an expression of disbelief. Before her, where Darcius once was, was Matoro. The Ice Toa's eyes were dark, his heartlight was out, and he was as still as death. Finally, the strength in Kit's legs left her and she dropped to her knees right next to Matoro, her eyes stinging with tears. Though it was staring her right in the face, she couldn't believe what had happened, what she had done—she had just killed the very person she was trying to alert of danger, had killed a good friend. "This can't be happening," she said to herself, but unable to convince herself otherwise. Finally, as if her own voice had broken some sort of spell, Kit broke down, covering her face with her hands and leaning against the tunnel wall. After several minutes, she found her voice again. "Matoro, I'm so sorry," she said in between sobs.

Shortly after, she remembered that it was the illusion of Darcius that caused all of this. She was tricked into killing the Toa Inika of Ice. Along with that, the other Inika were probably still searching for this Mask of Life she heard about, or if they weren't, it was now up to her to find it before the Piraka did. With that in mind, she did her best to pull herself together and wiped her eyes. With a look of reverence, she put a hand to the fallen Toa's shoulder, got to her feet, and started following the staircase further underground. However, she couldn't resist one final look at Matoro and looked over her shoulder—only to find the body missing.

"What the heck?" she asked no one in particular as she raced back to the spot where she left the Ice Toa. She searched, but found no sign that anyone, or anything, had recently been there. She only had her back turned for a second, so there was no way Matoro could've been dragged off, and, she hoped, he didn't get up and walk away.

Then she thought about the Darcius illusion and wondered: If Darcius wasn't really there, who was to say Matoro wasn't really there either? What if Matoro was also an illusion? She doubted if someone did cloak the Toa of Ice in an illusion of Darcius, Matoro wouldn't try to warn her. But, Darcius didn't say anything, not even when she commented on his death, and, usually, she couldn't get him to be quiet. "This must be one of the challenges I have to go through in order to get to the mask," she thought aloud. With a sigh of relief, and a feeling like an enormous weight had been lifted off her chest and shoulders, she started back down the steps.

* * *

Back at the Piraka stronghold, Axonn battled with Brutaka, whose powers and strength had been returned to him minutes ago. For just a brief moment, the mighty silver and crimson warrior found himself hoping that the human, Kit, would return to give him a hand. This thought, however, was done away with as fast as it was brought up. Axonn admitted to himself that the girl was a decent fighter, but Brutaka was perfectly capable of dealing with her in less than a millisecond; she would be unconscious or dead long before she even knew what happened. 'This is my fight, and mine alone,' Axonn said to himself, and the fierce battle between the two former allies continued.

* * *

At the underground cavern, Kit continued to make her way down the stairs. She was beyond tempted to just run in order to catch up to the Inika, but feared that she could stumble and fall in the near darkness. Thus, she maintained her pace of a fast-walk. 'I just hope it's not already too late,' she said to herself. She continued on to an odd chamber, a wide one that was covered in slick ice. 'If this ice came from where I think it did, the Inika have been through here, and fairly recently,' Kit thought, and she carefully proceeded onto the ice. She was halfway across when a bright flash blinded her. When her vision returned to normal she discovered a yellow-armored being standing in the doorway that was the exit of the room. He held a mean-looking staff and his feet had wheels attached underneath, like skates. While Kit gazed at the figure with awe and confusion, he regarded her with cold, empty eyes. "Who are you?" was all Kit could think of to say.

"I am Umbra," the figure replied in a cold voice. "I guard the Mask of Life. You shall not pass."

Kit didn't know how to react to that—groan or roll her eyes. "I'm not here for the mask, I'm here to catch up with the Toa Inika," she said, hoping maybe, somehow she could negotiate her way through. "One of their members is in danger. Someone, or something, is after him. I have to get to him before it's too late. Please, let me through."

But, Umbra was adamant, "If your desire is to proceed, you must prove your worth to the mask by defeating me, otherwise renounce your quest."

Kit narrowed her eyes; apparently, just like the Toa, she was going to have to go through this guy if she wanted to continue. She took up a fighting stance. Seeing this as her response, Umbra's form changed into a concentrated beam of light and shot forward. Kit had to drop to the ground to avoid being hit. Umbra bounced off a wall and ricocheted back toward the girl, who rolled out of the way. "Nice trick," Kit admitted, "but guess what—I can do that too," and she unleashed an energy ball. Though the ball didn't meet its mark, Kit could've sworn that she saw Umbra falter a bit, as if in surprise. 'Takanuva could learn a lot about his powers from this guy,' she thought to herself.

Kit's mind raced to think of way to get past this guy without costing herself, and possibly Matoro, a lot of time as she continued to dodge Umbra's attacks and fight back. Seeing as how Umbra continuously bounced off the iced-over walls, something clicked in her mind. "Hey, big guy, come and get me!" she called and, once Umbra turned toward her direction, Kit immediately made a mad dash toward the wall near the exit. She could sense that Umbra was closing in on her, but, if she could time this right, she could trick Umbra into defeating himself. She forced herself to wait until the last possible moment, then shifted her body slightly, allowing Umbra to pass harmlessly under her arm. Unfortunately, Umbra did something Kit didn't expect—he bounced safely off the ice. Also, because she forgot about the iced-over floor, Kit skidded out of control when she tried to stop.

She slid with a crash into the wall, but not before she managed to turn so the force was on her back. Though the impact wasn't as bad as it could've been, it still hurt like crap and Kit had to fight to remain conscious as she hit the floor. Umbra, meanwhile, still in light form, continued to ricochet around the chamber, as if searching for the right angle to get back to the girl. "I do not fall for the same trick that easily, small one," the laser-like beam said.

'Great,' Kit groaned inwardly; the Toa Inika must've come up with the same strategy. Her eyes widened when she saw Umbra heading right for her, and she was against a wall with no time to move. Therefore, there was only one thing to do, and she prayed that it would work. Just when Umbra was mere centimeters away, Kit summoned her shield. She grunted when Umbra's momentum pinned her against the wall, but the shield did its job and protected her.

Acting quickly, Kit shoved Umbra toward the other side of the room, and, again, Umbra ricocheted off. But then, Kit did something that took him by surprise—instead of trying to stay away from him, she leaped right toward him, and he couldn't change direction. "Enough is enough," the girl cried as she chambered a powered up fist. Fist glowing with power, she landed a solid punch at the beam of light. The force behind it was so great that, before he hit the ground, Umbra returned to his normal form, unconscious. Kit, meanwhile, landed lithely on the floor and panted; it was finally over, she had defeated him and could continue. "Gotta hand it to you though, big guy," she said as if he could hear her. "You're one tough cookie." And with that said and done, the girl took her leave.

* * *

Kit walked down another few dozen steps. Though her ears were alert for any sound whatsoever, the only sound in the hallway was the sound of her own feet. When she noticed she was coming to another chamber, she tensed up for another test. 'When are these tests going to end?' she thought to herself. As she continued on, Kit became aware of a strange heat that seemed to be coming from the chamber up ahead. When she finally reached the doorway, she discovered her mistake. This wasn't another chamber, it was a volcanic plain. 'Kind of reminds me of Ta-Koro,' thought Kit with a small smile. Above her, there was a ledge and what appeared to be a doorway.

"Whoever built this place sure didn't want to make anything easy," she groaned, knowing, considering she no longer had an armor suit that had a rocket pack, what she had to do to get up there and began to climb. Unfortunately, she only made it a third of the way up when her hands began to ache so bad, she couldn't continue, and there was nowhere for her to rest even if she wanted to. Kit dropped her head out of exhaustion when her eyes just happened to notice the retracted claws on her arm and she remembered the time back in the resistance group's cave. If she could have, Kit would've banged her forehead with the heel of a palm right then and there. "I can't believe I forgot," she groaned. Then, clenching her fists just the right way, the claws shot out, and she dug one trio of claws into the stone, then the other, then the other, then the other.

At one point, she slipped, but the claws held fast. Hearing a sound like something metal being unsheathed, she looked around wildly; maybe there was something or someone here she had to fight. But, there was nothing in sight. The toe of her boot nudged the rock wall and she immediately felt something odd. She looked down and, unexpectedly found her answer. Claw-like blades, three on each foot, protruded from the soles. She looked at the wall, back at her boots, and back at the wall again. Then, with a grunt of exertion, she thrust the blades into the stone and resumed climbing. "Alright, now we're getting somewhere!" Kit exclaimed with excitement that seemed to be rising along with her progress.

The means of climbing she had just accomplished reminded her very much of how she used to climb when she was a Hordika. She used the claws as climbing spikes and didn't stop until she reached the top. With a mighty heave, she pulled herself up over the edge. Body aching and wrists sore from the climb, Kit panted hard, fighting the temptation to just collapse and rest. She had at last made it to the gateway to the Chamber of Life; the Mask of Life—and Matoro—couldn't be far away now. With every muscle protesting, Kit forced herself up and, with arms and legs feeling like lead, she marched inside.

* * *

Kit had only reached the halfway point when she heard a terrifying roar that was followed by an awful scream. Both sounds echoed in the hallway and could only mean one thing. "The Toa!" the girl gasped, and, as if the strength in her legs had suddenly returned, she ran as fast as she could go toward the end of the tunnel.

* * *

With Hahli and Matoro down and Kongu just barely being saved from the monstrous spider, Fenrakk, courtesy of Nuparu, Toa Jaller knew he had to act fast and aimed his flame sword. "Go ahead!" Fenrakk's rider, a stray Piraka called Vezon, dared. "Sizzle me, shock me—you'll only make me stronger!"

Jaller smirked, "Who said I was aiming at you?" and fired a combined blast of lightning and flame.

The floor underneath the giant spider, which turned out to be the actual target, was being transformed into magma. Fenrakk reacted purely by instinct and backed away. This turned out to be big mistake on its part for one of its legs slipped off the edge—and, down below, a river of lava gurgled, as if in anticipation of what appeared to be its latest feast. Fenrakk, unable to regain its balance, teetered slowly over the ridge. Then, to the astonishment of the Toa Inika, Vezon, being unable to jump off the Rahi, leaned his weight toward the lava. Both Rahi and conjoined rider fell and sank into the fiery river without a sound, not even a scream.

"Mata Nui, preserve us," said Nuparu, the shock apparent in his voice. "He . . . he did that to himself."

"Guys!" a voice cried. Startled, the Toa Inika turned to find Kit hopping down rocks as if they were giant steps. "Boy, am I glad you're not dead," the girl said as she ran toward Matoro and, to the Ice Toa's surprise, embraced him in a hug.

"What made you think I was dead?" asked the Toa of Ice, confused.

"Long story, I'll explain later," Kit simply answered. Though she knew the Matoro she saw earlier was just an illusion, it was still relieving to see that he was alive. Nuparu looked to Hewkii, who just shrugged. Releasing Matoro, Kit turned to the other Toa, "Where's the Mask of Life?"

Kongu pointed toward the lava. "A Piraka called Vezon took it down there with him," Jaller explained. "I have to go in there after it."

"Jaller, no!" Kit protested.

"You won't last more than ten seconds in that cauldron!" Hewkii added.

"That's ten seconds more than any of you would," the Fire Toa countered. "With my natural resistance to heat and flame, maybe I can buy enough time to retrieve the mask and toss it to you. After that . . . take over as leader, Hewkii." In saying this, Jaller placed a hand on the Stone Toa's shoulder, as if telling Hewkii of his confidence and trust in him. "Keep the team together and get the Mask of Life wherever it has to go." Jaller then turned to Kit and said, "Kit, keep doing what you're doing and take care of everyone and everything in this realm. Keep it safe." After a brief moment's hesitation, Toa Hewkii and Kit nodded.

Then, Toa Jaller approached the edge of the river of lava. For a minute, he just stood looking down at the lava, taking in the familiar sight, smell, and sound of it; thinking of what happens to anyone or anything, even a Toa of Fire or a Kane-Ra bull, when they touch it. Shaking his head, he forced himself to get ready; if he stood there any longer, the others might talk him out of it. He was just about to dive in when something bobbed up to the surface. It was the Mask of Life, intact and close enough to touch! Jaller was about to reach out for it when he saw something very, very wrong—the Mask was still stuck onto Vezon, and he was very much alive.

The Toa of Fire backed away and joined his friends staring in awe and horror as the Piraka casually rose out of the lava as if it was nothing but a refreshing swim. His mount soon followed, except it wasn't Fenrakk. The spider was, instead, replaced by a massive creature that resembled a serpent or a dragon. The beast's strength was instantly apparent when just a glancing blow sent Jaller flying into Hewkii and almost rendered him unconscious. "Why so startled?" Vezon asked as he looked upon all of the Toa Inika. "Did you think that I had left you for good?" When his eyes fell upon Kit, they widened in evil glee. "Oh goody, even more company."

"What's he talking about?" Kit asked Kongu in a quiet voice. "And, what's that thing he's on?"

"Not 'goody', that's for certain-sure," the Toa of Air replied.

"Who is this, you wonder?" Vezon resumed. "Where is Fenrakk? Well, my friends, this is Fenrakk . . . in a way. It is all part of the mask's curse. Defeat us however many times you like, we will always come back more powerful than before. Should you drive my new friend here—who I have named Kardas, by the way—down to certain destruction, it will simply rise again, in some worse form. And, I will be right here with it."

'Brilliant,' thought Kit. 'How are we supposed to get the Mask of Life from an opponent that can't even be beaten?'

While Vezon was busy boasting, Toa Kongu fired an energy bolt from his crossbow. Though the shot did sting, it didn't seem to cause a lot of damage. Kardas then responded with a blast from his mouth. Kongu found himself driven over the lava channel and into the opposite stone wall. "Ow, that's gonna leave a mark," Kit said as she noted the hole in the wall.

"Good Kardas," Vezon praised, patting the back of the dragon's neck.

Kit couldn't help but stare in disbelief as the demented Piraka continued to coo to the monster. 'That guy's crazy,' she thought to herself. 'He's talking to that thing as if it were a harmless puppy.'

"Energy," Vezon announced to the group. "Kardas produces it nonstop. So, it's either release it by blasting you, or else go boom himself. Which did you think we would choose?"

And, with that, a battle ensued. The remaining Toa Inika and Kit used their individual powers to both attack the Rahi dragon and defend themselves. Every time they dodged an attack, Kardas' power would blast away a section of a chamber wall. "Now see what you're making him do?" Vezon complained. "I have to live here, you know!"

"Aw, that's just too bad . . . for you, anyway," Kit retorted in a tone that the Piraka didn't like the sound of. Kardas, upon direction from Vezon, aimed another blast of energy.

Knowing there was no way her shield would be powerful enough to stop the attack, the girl moved away. She almost didn't dodge it in time, and the force of the impact sent her sprawling across the floor. The dragon began to approach Kit's prone, unconscious form, but its feet suddenly began to slide on some ice that mysteriously appeared.

While Matoro smirked at his handiwork, Hewkii saw his chance and used his elemental powers to summon a fist of stone from beneath the ice, slamming it into Kardas. Dragon and rider stumbled back. The Toa of Stone smiled, "Nice to have something to hit again." Nuparu, meanwhile, took off and fired energy bolts around the giant Rahi. However, he was soon felled when Kardas got a lucky shot and Hewkii caught him. "We have to all strike at once," the Stone Toa said. With Jaller, Kongu, and Kit still out of the fight, it was left up to him, Matoro, Hahli, and Nuparu to stop this thing once for all. Both Kardas and the four Toa fired their energies, which collided head-on. At first, it looked like the Toa would win, however, unlike Kardas' reserves, their powers could only last for so long. And so, Kardas' power began to inch toward them. By the time Hewkii called for his friends to duck, it was too late. They all lay on the ground, feeling like they got hit by Kane-Ra bull.


	6. Complications

Jaller groaned as his eyes began to open and the first thing he saw was Vezon and Kardas standing over Hewkii and the others. The Piraka was wondering aloud which way to use his weapon of choice, the Spear of Fusion—use it on all four of them to see what happens, or use it on them individually to see if he could separate the Matoran they used to be. Jaller knew something had to be done and fast. Glancing to one side, he saw that Kit was still out cold, thus was in no condition to do anything. When he looked to the other, he saw Kongu crawling his way out through the hole from which he came and an idea came to him. In whispers, the Toa of Fire told the Air Toa his plan—use his Kanohi Suletu to read the mask's thoughts and project them into Vezon's mind. With a little luck, this would distract the Piraka and Jaller could end this battle.

Though Toa Kongu was skeptical about this plan, the sight of Vezon aiming his weapon at his friends thrust away any further thought of arguing. He focused his mask power on the infused Kanohi, still not sure this was going to work. Jaller, meanwhile, moved beside Kit and watched and waited. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, the look on Vezon's face became one of rage and grief. He seemed to be reacting to something only he could see. 'It's working,' thought the Toa of Fire; Kongu was making Vezon see and feel the thoughts of the Mask of Life. Just then, Kit began to awake. "Are you ok?" Jaller asked.

"Let's just say I've been better," the girl groaned. They both turned their attention to the deranged Piraka at the sound of his voice.

"No! I did everything you asked! I beat the Piraka! I beat the Toa! No one is touching you, no one is taking you from this place, ever! And, I won't be gotten rid of after all this—I won't!"

"What in the world--?" asked Kit.

"Sounds like whatever thoughts that mask had of him were not good ones," Jaller answered.

The girl looked at the Fire Toa, confused. But, there wasn't time to ask, for then Vezon's eyes locked onto Matoro. They were glowing with a hatred beyond words. "So, it wants you, does it? Let's see if it still does when I'm through with you. You can be the ultimate chamber guard, Toa, once you are fused forever with the lava that courses through this chamber." Vezon aimed his spear at the Toa of Ice and its head crackled with energy. Just before it was about to fire, the Piraka felt himself being blasted hard in the shoulder and cried out in surprise. He looked around wildly for the source and found it to be Kit—her hand glowing with energy. "And, you can join him, you little biological blob," Vezon growled.

Kit, however, smirked, "Wouldn't count on it."

The Piraka gave her a bewildered expression and, seeing his chance, Jaller loaded the zamor sphere Axonn gave him, hoping that this was the right time to use it. 'As Kit says, 'It's now or never',' he thought to himself as he fired. When the sphere hit its target, rider and Rahi just froze exactly as they were, a glow radiating from them. Knowing they probably didn't have much time, Jaller, Kongu, and Kit ran to go check on the others. Thankfully, they were a little dazed, but ok.

"Are they . . . dead?" asked Hahli.

"No," answered Jaller. "Worse—they're still alive."

Confused, Kit followed the Fire Toa's gaze to Vezon. Looking into the Piraka's eyes, she saw something mixed in with the madness—loss. The sight of Vezon like that looked so pitiful and pathetic that, for the briefest of moments, the girl almost found herself feeling sorry for him.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Hewkii's voice. "We have to get the mask now, while we can," and the Toa of Stone headed for Vezon.

"Wait!" Kongu called. "Let Matoro do it." Everyone looked at him, puzzled.

"Why?" asked Hewkii. "What difference does it make who--?"

"Just . . . just let Matoro do it, ok?"

Hewkii looked to Kit, who merely shrugged and gestured for Matoro to go ahead. The Toa of Ice approached the frozen figures from behind and grasped the Mask of Life. His shoulders and arms tensed and he made sure his feet were firmly planted on the ground, ready to pry off the Kanohi with all of his might. He pulled . . . and it easily came off, as if it wasn't stuck there at all. He gazed in wonder at it—it felt warm and almost as if it were alive, despite being made of protodermis—before calling to the others, "I've got it! I've got it!"

"Excellent. And, we have you," a familiar voice hissed. The Toa Inika and their human friend spun around to find all six Piraka on their feet and ready for a fight. Zaktan sneered. "You have defeated Vezon and his monster. In gratitude, we will destroy you as quickly and efficiently as possible and take the mask. No need to thank us—that is just the type of beings we are."

"Man, I honestly don't know which I hate most: your sarcasm, which is so lame it's not even funny; your smiles, which make me sicker every time I see them; or you guys, period, who keep getting uglier every time I look at you," Kit growled. Zaktan glared at the girl, but decided he would take care of her later.

"But, you were--" started Kongu.

"We've been awake for some time now," the Piraka leader smiled evilly. "We just felt it made more sense for you to exhaust yourselves in battle for the Mask of Life. Now that you have it, we will take it."

"Forget it," said Kit.

Both sides faced each other, ready for a fight. However, it didn't come to that. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, tall, green, and gruesome," said a voice. "I'm the one who will be taking that mask—and its chosen carrier." Everyone's eyes darted all around the chamber, trying to locate the source of the voice. Kit thought it sounded familiar, like she heard something similar to it before, but couldn't recall from where.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement behind Matoro—movement that looked like living smoke. "Matoro, get down!" she cried. If it weren't for the urgency in the girl's voice, or the sight of her aiming a charged up energy ball at him, the Toa of Ice would've asked why. Lucky for him, the Ice Toa dropped to the ground in a flash, the ball whizzing just above his head, and a scream of pain echoed throughout the cavern.

By the wall, the form of a woman fully materialized as she struggled to get up. She had long, wavy red hair, sickly-looking green skin, her ears were slightly pointed,wore ared oriental fashioned slit skirt dress with a black skintight jumpsuit underneath, and ankle-high boots. Kit recognized her face. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Both the Toa Inika and Piraka looked to the girl, surprised. "You know her?" asked Nuparu.

"Not personally," Kit answered. "I briefly encountered her back at the stronghold." The woman looked right at Kit and glared. The girl took a few careful steps closer to the woman and asked, "Who are you? What do want?"

Finally on her feet, the woman replied, "I am Mirna and, as for what I want, I'm here for him and that mask." Mirna pointed at Matoro, who still had hold of the Mask of Life.

"What do you want from me?" asked the Toa of Ice.

Mirna smiled an evil smile, as if pleased that he addressed her. "Both you and that mask have important roles to play in this realm. Who's to say what will happen if anything happened to either or both of you before you could fulfill them. Also, that mask's powers could prove useful for other purposes." Zaktan snarled; it was bad enough that he and the other Piraka ended up having to fight the Toa and their human pet for possession of the Mask of Life, now this female had come into play.

However, at that moment, the zamor sphere's effect on Vezon and Kardas had worn off. Though both were woozy and weak, the dragon Rahi unleashed an energy blast just before he hit the ground. The blast hit and Matoro lost his grip on the Kanohi. The Piraka, Kit, and Mirna all moved to be the first to grab it. Although, to everyone's amazement, the mask hovered in the air for a moment and zoomed into the tunnel from which all parties came. Hewkii used his elemental powers to restrain five of the Piraka while Matoro did the same with Zaktan's protodites. Suddenly, the Toa of Ice gasped and stiffened. Mirna grinned as her hand began to meld into the Ice Toa's back. Kit was the first to notice and struck the woman with a powered up punch to the head. The force was so great and so unexpected, Mirna was rendered unconscious before she even hit the ground. The girl, meanwhile, glared daggers at the prone form.

"That buys us maybe ten seconds," Hewkii said, speaking of his vices.

"That's ten seconds more than we'd have without them," Kit called as she ran up the staircase. Gesturing for the others to follow, Jaller followed suit. The Toa Inika and their human friend ran with all they had left, trying to keep the Mask of Light in sight. The Toa tried to use their elemental powers to stop or slow it down, but nothing worked. "I knew this wouldn't be easy," Kit commented, "but this is ridiculous."

The mask continued on its way, leading the heroes out into a rainstorm. "Nuparu--" Hahli called.

"I'm on it," the Toa Earth replied, and took to the sky. Flying as fast as he could, he reached out for the mask. For a moment, with his fingers just inches away from it, it looked like he would actually get it. But, the mask managed to stay ahead of him. "It's leading us somewhere," he called to the others. The mask indeed lead them somewhere—right to the edge of the coastline of ice that surrounded the island. Then, it disappeared into the water.

Hahli dove after it and Matoro used his mask power to follow her in spirit form. 'Finally,' Kit thought thankfully, and let herself collapse.

"Are you alright-ok, Kit?" Kongu asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah," the girl responded wearily.

'She's just exhausted-tired,' the Air Toa thought with a sympathetic grin, 'like the rest of us.'

Just then, Matoro's body bolted up. There was alarm in his eyes. "Hahli's drowning!" he informed them. Just when everyone was about to go in to help the Toa of Water, her body floated to the surface. For a moment, all of the remaining Inika stared and held their breath, Kit holding her hands to her mouth, fearing the worst. Then, Hahli sputtered and coughed; she was ok.

Jaller ran to her with Kit in tow. It was then the girl noticed a head bobbing in the water; someone else was there, someone who was responsible for Hahli's rescue. She grabbed hold of the form and gasped. "Jaller," she said. The Toa of Fire turned his attention from his friend to Kit, who gently supported a semiconscious Matoran above water.

"Let's get them to shore," said the Fire Toa, and Kit nodded. By the time they reached the beach, Hahli was starting to recover. The Matoran, however, was not in as good of shape; his breathing was erratic, his heartlight flashed, and he was so weak he couldn't even stand up.

Gently Kit set him down, a troubled frown on her face; as much as she didn't want to, she couldn't help but think that the little guy wasn't going to last much longer. "Who are you?" she asked. "Where did you come from?"

The Matoran spoke with difficulty in between breaths, as if it was taking all of his remaining strength to respond. "No time. Help us . . . city beneath the sea . . . help us or we're lost . . ."

Kit looked to the Toa, but they all shrugged their shoulders. "What city?" asked Hewkii. "What are you talking about?" But, the Matoran's head dropped, his heartlight stopped, and his eyes went dark. Kit turned to face the Toa Inika with a sorrowful expression and shook her head. The Matoran was dead.

For several minutes that felt like hours, the Toa stood over the body of the Matoran. Kit, now in her regular clothes, placed a flower she found on his chest and rejoined the group, the ocean breeze blowing through her hair. "Mata Nui watch over him," said Matoro.

"He sacrificed his life to save mine," said Hahli. "That may make him a greater hero than any of us."

"And, he brought us more mysteries," Hewkii pointed out. "Who was this Matoran? What killed him? What city was he talking about? And, why did the Mask of Life vanish beneath the waves?"

"Only one way to find out," said Kit, gesturing toward the ocean.

"Why do I get the feeling we're all going to go for a deep-swim?" Kongu grumbled.

"C'mon, Kongu, it's not that bad," Kit said, and started back toward the water. She had only gone to edge of the tide when she noticed the Toa weren't following. "C'mon," she urged, but they didn't budge. In fact, they seemed to be deep in thought. "What's the matter?"

A moment passed before Toa Kongu finally spoke up. "We were just deep-thinking that maybe fate random-picked the wrong Matoran to be Toa, considering that we failed."

"What do you mean 'failed'? You guys managed to stop the Piraka from taking the Mask of Life and freed this island and its Matoran."

"True," Jaller agreed, but in a low tone, "but now the mask, the only thing that can save the life of the Great Spirit, is lost in the ocean." For once in a long time, the girl was at a loss for comforting words. Everything she'd come up with sounded hollow and unconvincing, even for her.

"No, Toa-hero, you succeeded," said a familiar voice. "You just have to succeed again."

Surprised, the Toa Inika whirled around and were joined by Kit in staring in amazement. Before them were the Toa Nuva, led by Axonn and the Matoran resistance, and the group ran to greet them. "Tahu! Gali! I can't believe it!" shouted Jaller. "We were afraid you might be dead! Now everything will be alright," mentioned Hahli.

Pohatu smiled, "Toa are hard to kill, you know. Just ask Makuta . . . if he ever gets out from under that door."

Everyone had to laugh or smile at that. "So, how did you guys get loose?" Kit asked.

"Our Matoran friends found us," Tahu answered, "and freed us from the effects of the Piraka's zamor spheres. By the way, where are the Piraka?"

Between the both of them, Toa Jaller and Kit relayed the story of the finding and losing the Mask of Life and of Mirna and her interest in Matoro, as well as the mask. Tahu's eyes widened in surprise when they told him of the possibility of a Matoran civilization existing underwater. "We were just trying to come up with a way to follow the mask when you came," Jaller explained.

"Funny," Kit frowned, "it looked and sounded more like you guys were ready to--" Realizing where the girl was going, Jaller quickly covered her mouth and ducked her head.

"What was she saying?" asked Tahu.

"Nothing," said Jaller, "just human stuff." Jaller slightly squeezed Kit's shoulder, signaling for her to be quiet. Tahu merely smiled; it looked more to him like Kit was about to say something the new Toa of Fire didn't want her to say. Jaller continued where he left off, "But, now that you're here, you can come with us."

"Unless you'd rather we go back to Metru Nui," said Nuparu. When some of his friends gave him odd looks, he winked. Personally, he didn't want to go back to simple guard duty, not when adventure was much more interesting.

However, when the Toa Nuva looked at each other questioningly, Kit caught on that something was up. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Tahu replied, and he gently patted her head. Kit simply smiled at the caress. Turning back to the Inika, the Toa Nuva of Fire said, "I think, perhaps, it is we who should return to the city. Take your team, Jaller, and find the mask."

Stunned, Jaller said, "What? But, you are Toa Nuva—the most powerful of all Toa—and this is your destiny!"

"Correction," said Kit, "their destiny is to _awaken_ the Great Spirit, not, necessarily, chase after the Mask of Life. Apparently, that's now your job."

"Kit's right," agreed Kopaka. "You are fighting to save the life of the Great Spirit, which must be done before he can be returned to consciousness. And that, my friends, is your destiny—not ours." Gali even pointed out that where the Toa Nuva failed, Jaller and his team had prevailed. Therefore, it stood to reason that they became Toa for a reason.

Then, a sudden and terrible thought came to Kit, "What about the Matoran here on Voya Nui?"

"That's right," Hahli said, coming to the same realization her human friend did. "The Piraka are still here. The villagers are still in danger." Tahu admitted to himself that he hadn't thought of that. With both teams of Toa gone on their own missions and Kit, no doubt, going with them, the Matoran on Voya Nui would be left defenseless.

He was just wondering if he and his team should take them to Metru Nui with them when Axonn spoke. "I will remain on Voya Nui and see to the Matoran." With that problem taken care of, one question still remained: How were Kit and the Inika going to go after the Mask of Life? As if sensing Jaller and Kit's thoughts the same way Kongu could with his Suletu, Axonn said, "Fear not, my friends. There is a way to reach the undersea realm, but the way is treacherous . . . and your destination a place of death and despair. But, if you are willing to make the journey, my axe can open the way for you."

Already knowing what the Inika's answer was, Jaller turned to Kit, "You sure?"

"You know it," the girl said with a steely determination in her eyes, face, and voice.

Turning back to Axonn, Toa Jaller with the same resolve, "We'll do it."

Axonn nodded, "Then meet me at the Matoran village in the center of the island. Your quest begins there."

And so, the two groups commenced with their farewells. "Take care of all of them, Kit, not just Matoro," Toa Gali said, placing requesting hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You know I will, Gali," Kit smiled assuringly.

When it was finally time to depart, Toa Tahu bid Kit and the Toa Inika good luck and promised them he and the Toa Nuva would be waiting to welcome them at Metru Nui when they returned. None of them, not even Kit, suspected that the Toa Nuva of Fire had just lied to them.

* * *

A little later, Axonn met up with the Toa Inika and their human ally, who were waiting in the center of the Matoran village. "This is the beginning. And, Mata Nui will help see you through to the end." Grabbing hold of his axe, the titan got right to work. Kit couldn't help but gaze in awe at how deep into the ground the weapon pierced.

After a few more blows, a path was revealed. "Wicked sweet," the girl said in comment of the guardian's tool.

Axonn gave her a small smile before speaking. "Your route lies through there. It will take you to the city beneath the sea and the Mask of Life . . . but take care, Toa and child. The ocean is home to many wonders, and many dangers . . . to figures of great courage, and some so evil that even the Order of Mata Nui could do nothing but banish them below."

'Well, that's encouraging,' Kit thought, now feeling a little nervous.

One by one, the group proceeded down into the darkness below, not sure of what exactly to expect on their journey and unaware that quite a few of their friends were already doubtful of their success and fearful for their lives.


End file.
